1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of covering a wire harness branch section with a protector and a branch structure of a wire harness. Particularly, the present invention allows simple installation of a T-shaped protector to a T-shaped branch section of a main wire and a branch wire, which are respectively passed through corrugated tubes.
2. Description of Related Art
A wire harness routed to an automobile includes a branch wire branched from a main wire at a predetermined position and connected to an electric device mounted in a vehicle. A protector is conventionally used for a wire harness branch section, in order to fix the branch position and to protect electric wires exposed from corrugated tubes at the branch position when the main wire and the branch wire are passed through the corrugated tubes for bundling and protection. Conventionally, electric wires of a wire harness are taped and bundled in many cases. Since taping the wires requires proficient skills and work efforts, however, the electric wires are mostly passed through plastic corrugated tubes for bundling. When the corrugated tubes are used, the electric wires are exposed at the branch section of the T-shaped branch position, where the branch wire branches from the main wire, the branch section being sandwiched by both ends of the corrugated tubes through which the main wire is passed and an end of the corrugated tube through which the branch wire is passed. Thus, it is necessary to install a protector to the T -shaped branch section in order to cover the exposed electric wires at the branch section.
As a protector of this type, a protector 1 for a T-shaped branch section shown in FIG. 9 is known, for example. The protector 1 includes a pair of halved bodies 3 and 4 on right and left sides, which are formed by splitting a T-shaped tube into two and are connected via a hinge 2. The halved bodies 3 and 4 include main wire sections 3a and 4a and branch wire sections 3b and 4b, respectively. Both end portions of the main wire sections 3a and 4a and end portions of the branch wire sections 3b and 4b are provided with a plurality of ribs 5 on inner circumferences, the ribs being fitted into recesses on corrugated tubes. Further, opening and closing ends of the main wire sections 3a and 4a are provided with locking hooks 6a and locked portions 6b at mutually opposing positions; and opening and closing ends of the branch wire sections 3b and 4b are also provided with locking hooks 7a and locked portions 7b at mutually opposing positions. Thereby, the halved bodies 3 and 4 on the right and left sides are locked and connected when the halved bodies are closed and put together (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication H9-294320).
However, the protector above requires processes for manually folding, closing, and locking the halved bodies 3 and 4, thus requiring a number of installation processes and professional skills.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication H9-294320